Xander and the Vengeance gig
by swantje
Summary: Xander leaves the scooby gang after they push him out... how does he get his revenge?


Disclaimer – I don't own any of the characters in Buffy – Joss Wheadon does. I'm just playing with them.

Xander and the vengeance gig.

And it was just such another day, as yesterday that Xander found himself walking down the street at just such a sweet sedentary pace that it was no charge to keep up with him at all. And all around those ignoramuses who kept house in Sunnydale shook their heads at him: another yob skiving off school. Another member of that hated underclass – 'white trash' they called it: though truth be told he was no trash though his room was a cellar; which he shared with that sarcastic bleach-bottle blond. It was no hassle really helping Buffy, in fact he liked it despite, no because of the danger, despite the fact that he really had no mojo, no cool power, no supernatural destiny thing. Yet here they were kicking him out, despite the fact that he had saved all their lives countless times, because he was too weak? Who were they smart-arsing? They couldn't survive a week without their powers… well if they wanted him out. Out he would go. But not away: no never away: why should he give up this underworld war they were fighting just because_ they_ deemed him unworthy? He had enough experience, of death, near-death that he could write his own diaries – maybe oneday they would be required reading for future slayers or maybe just as sci-fi novellas. Never know until you try.

And so he set up all on his lonesome: the lone warrior against the horror-some hordes. For there was always somewhere the slayer had no time to be: small tragedies not foretold in some ancient tome.. I mean no-one cares if some kid's mother gets attacked and turned by a vampire… its just an event, one with no world-shaking consequences…except of course for the unfortunate kid. Nah nevermind the world says. Until someone says no: and then at least one person cares in a very vengeful way. And so he was specialised vampire-hunter slash private-eye; and had a rep to match. Unsolved murders, horrible killings, all came his way and with the sensible technique of only working in daylight to find vampires at their weakest, he was known for cruel and tortured executions in a way Buffy would never indulge herself. But then it had never been her loved ones that had been turned or killed, like poor Jenny Calender or tortured like Giles. And in that true way of his, he knew that Giles could never truly forgive himself or Buffy for her death… for himself, he could never forgive himself for anyone who died, but that was his burden and his raison d'etre.

He still hung out occasionally with the fang-gang, y'know keep in touch with the demon news, or when he had to research a vampire/clan or other demons in the library. But they were dumb to his transformation as vigilante avenger par exellance. And he would keep it that way; who knew what funny ideas they might get about it.. though it seemed buffy had found out about the torch-fest he had held last weekend. A clan of vampires had preyed on little kids during recess at the local junior high and for it they had been poisoned with a paralytic and then strung up and burnt slowly from the feet upwards. The screams had been music to his ears: why kill them quick when vengeance could be extracted so easily? Sometimes, like this time he had invited the fathers of the murdered kids along to watch. After-all that way they got value for money and saw justice done. And when they were almost done, he would let in the sunlight to finish them off. And it wouldn't be murder because they weren't human.

He was a first-rate vampire hit-man extraordinaire as the years went on and soon all the dirt knew of him. Course they'd never suspect the Slayer's one time friend, and his power-lack kept him anon. After all even his former slay-pals didn't even guess. Giles thought he worked for the obituaries column at the local daily and checked up with him occasionally, to ask about a recent death or some other death related issue to whatever apocalypse was going on. By now even they had heard of the vampire-killer who worked in day-light unseen, whose atrocities earned him kudos among even the undead. Rumours spread widely that he was a contract killer for some big vampire boss, who used him to get rid of opponents. Some others thought he was on a vengeance gig. And certainly none thought he was just human: 'an invisible dude, wizard, semi-demon'. Buffy had dismissed him as some wannabe vampire slayer: 'dude, he doesn't even hunt at night, obviously a coward or maybe he just can't fight' but had eventually grown jealous of his rep and had considered him to be encroaching on her job. And when it got too hot under the collar and the slayer talked about hunting down the 'killer' despite they were on the 'same side' - he would take a 'contract' outside of Sunnyhell: and this way he got to see the world. Alone. That was the one thing that bothered him. While buffy had appropriated _his_ friends, he had not had the heart to include others in his fight. Unlike buffy he would not put others in mortal danger. Course he had a secretary who fronted his detective agency, but he himself remained in the background, and she had no idea what the reality behind his missing-persons cases was.

So the day came of course that he had created enough havoc, and D'hoffryn paid him a visit. In the middle of the day in his office at the daily and had brought a proposition he hoped would be acceptable to one so smart and vengeful. He would bring people's vengeance on vampires and demons; he would get powers and he would live forever. It was attractive: but wasn't it his humanity that allowed him to be so vengeful to demons, because others, ones more-than-human forgot what it was like to be weak and helpless, and so could not hate them as he did, could not extract revenge as he did. And to his surprise D'hoffryn had agreed. So he would remain human, as liable as any to injury, pain and death. But he would have the power to find any vampire, any demon and if he called for it D'hoffryn would aid him.


End file.
